Scarred Summer: A Shooting Star Falls Story
by iKnowLotsOfThings
Summary: A month after the tragic events of June 3rd, Officer Wendy Corduroy and her new boyfriend Dipper Pines attempt to start the long journey towards a somewhat normal life. Tambry invites the pair to a Fourth of July party, which promises to produce more fireworks than the night sky ever could. What could possibly go wrong? Rated M for some language & underage drinking.
1. Chapter 1

Scarred Summer: A Shooting Star Falls Story

Part One

Two weeks had passed since Dipper's Great Uncles Stan and Ford departed Gravity Falls, Oregon. The original pair of Pines Twins safely arrived in their hometown of Glass Shard Beach, New Jersey. After spending a few days catching up with distant family and friends, the duo boarded the Stan of War II and set sail for adventure on the high seas. Meanwhile, back in the Pacific Northwest, Wendy Corduroy and Dipper Pines were growing closer to one another. After the tragedy of June 3rd, the pair of friends dealt with the painful loss of Mabel and Pacifica. At first, Wendy struggled to overcome the self-imposed guilt that she could have done more to save the lives of her two good friends. The night of the incident, the scarlet haired officer attempted to end her life with the handgun the police department had issued her. Thankfully, that attempt was thwarted by the spirit of Mabel Pines, who told of a future that she must ensure by protecting her twin brother Dipper. After trying to move on, the young woman fell back into a deep depression and once again attempted to end her life, this time by the blade. After falling out of consciousness, the redhead was admonished by the ghost of Mabel, who scolded her for the selfishness of such an act.

Wendy was awoken to the fact that she simply couldn't push away her feelings, and instead needed to talk about them to a doctor. After her release from the hospital, the young officer and her crush professed their love to one another. Dipper decided to move in with Wendy and the two began to spend nearly every waking moment together. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon when Wendy's cellphone began to ring, interrupting the baseball game she and Dipper had been watching. "What's up Tambers?" the freckled woman asked her friend on the other end of the line. "First of all… Don't call me Tambers… Second of all… You got plans for the fourth tomorrow?" the purple haired woman asked. "Nah… Me and Dip were thinking of going down to the lake and just takin' it easy… Why? What's up?" the young woman inquired. "Well… Remember that party I told you I was gonna throw?" Tambry asked. "Yeah…" Wendy quickly replied. "Well… Are you up to coming over tomorrow night for a little get together? I-I mean… If not, it's totally cool… I just wanted to invi-" the olive skinned woman continued before her best friend interrupted. "Yeah! I think we'll be alright… My doctor said it'd be good for me to get out and about… Get back to having a social life, ya know?" the redhead explained. "Okay, cool! We'll have drinks, fireworks, and tons of food! I'll tell the crew! They'll be stoked that you guys are coming!" the twenty year old girl practically squealed with delight. "Sounds good Tambers! Talk to you later!" Wendy replied as she awaited her friend's response. "I said… DON'T CALL ME THAT!" the violet haired woman predictably shouted into the speaker of her phone as Wendy hung up while laughing to herself.

"So… I take it we have plans for tomorrow…" Dipper said as he looked away from the television for a moment. "Yeah… Tambry's got something going on tomorrow night… That is… If you wanna go…" Wendy reassured her boyfriend. "Yeah… Who knows? It might be fun" the brown haired teen replied. The pair continued to watch the ballgame as they cuddled on the dark leather couch. While the team the young couple were rooting for were unable to win the game, they had enjoyed the lazy afternoon none the less. "So… What do you wanna do for dinner dude?" asked Wendy as she got up to see what she had in her freezer. "I don't know… What do we have left?" asked the teenager to his girlfriend. The scarlet haired woman opened the door to find a slim picking of dining options. Most of the food she had was bought previous to Dipper moving in, so they were meals for one. With the ravenous appetite of the still growing teen that now cohabitated with her, they ended up exhausting her usual months' worth of sustenance in only two weeks. "Well… We really don't have much here… Wanna go out for something?" the woman shouted from the kitchen. She was relieved that after Ford's speech a fortnight ago that she could once again walk the streets of her hometown and be able to go out to restaurants. "Yeah… That sounds good" the brown haired teen said as he stood up from the couch and stretched. Wendy took in the sight of her boyfriend. The young man was adorned in a pair of faded slim blue jeans and a black t-shirt. "Just let me get ready man…" Wendy said as she walked towards the bedroom. "What could she need to do to get ready?" the teen pondered to himself. Wendy searched her room for a small purse to go with her outfit, which consisted of skinny blue jeans, a beige t-shirt emblazoned with the phrase 'I'm NOT weird. I AM LIMITED EDITION' , and a black leather jacket. Locating a suitable purse, the pair made their way out of Wendy's apartment and down the narrow stairway that led to the first floor.

After throwing on their sneakers, the couple walked a few blocks to a local pizza place on Northwest Boulevard. "We should really go grocery shopping…" Dipper suggested as he they stood in line to place their order. "Yeah… We'll get some real food for the house after tomorrow… I promise…" Wendy said to her boyfriend. The couple managed to devour an entire large cheese pizza while they discussed the upcoming bash at Tambry's house the following night. "So where exactly are her parents at? I mean, her house is pretty much the mecca of partying in the summer… Especially ever since they put that pool in" Dipper questioned as he took another bite of his pizza. "Well… In the summer, they go and travel to different places… This year I think she said it was Europe…" the redhead said through a mouthful of food. "Speaking of the pool… Can we swing by the mall after this? I need to pick out a new bathing suit…" Wendy asked. "Sure!" the teenager quickly answered, causing Wendy to giggle.

After finishing their food, the couple left the pizzeria hand in hand as they headed to the Gravity Falls Mall. Wendy mulled the options of where she could purchase her new swimwear. There was Edgy On Purpose, which was a store Wendy frequented. Then again, she could try something new and go to Alexandra's Surprise, although she hated the frilliness of the store. In the end, she decided to go halfway and walked into Atlantic Sun, a surf and skate store. Dipper wandered off to find a new pair of board shorts while Wendy perused the selection of bikinis. After almost giving up hope, she found the perfect one. Selecting the swimsuit, the ginger woman entered a fitting room to try it on. Dipper meanwhile, found a pair of shorts, that while not his normal style, he liked. After putting on the swimsuit, Wendy picked up her phone and called Dipper. "What's up?" the teen asked his girlfriend. "Dude, come over to the fitting rooms… I need your opinion on this suit…" the young woman said. "Okay… Then it's my turn to try something on for you…" the brown haired teenager playfully retorted. Wendy drew a deep breath before emerging from the safety of the fitting room. "What if he doesn't like it? What if he thinks it shows off a bit too much?" the woman asked herself. She emerged from the room wearing a red and white striped bikini bottom and a string tied top that had one side that was blue with white stars, while the other side kept the red and white striping of the bottoms.

Dipper did all he could to not stare at his girlfriend as she stood in the bikini. He thought she looked great in it, but then again, he thought she looked great in pretty much anything she chose to wear. It was clear that her appearance was drawing some attention from some of the other male shoppers as well. Dipper walked over and wrapped the apprehensive ginger in a hug. "I love it! You look great babe!" the brown haired teen said as he tried to establish that Wendy was his girlfriend. "Since when do you call me 'babe' dude?" Wendy asked. "I dunno… I uh… I…" the teenager stuttered as once again the scarlet haired woman had flustered him. "I'm kidding man… I like it…" Wendy said with a reassuring smile. "Well… I better go change out of this before I make a few of these dweebs to have to buy a new pair of pants…" she said with a chuckle as she grasped the stubble of her boyfriend's chin and pecked him on the lips. Some of the onlookers were disappointed by this and proceeded to ogle other women in the store. After a moment, Wendy reemerged from the fitting room, with an eager look on her face. "I hope you don't mind, but I sent a pic to Tambry… She loved it too! Although I'm not sure if I may have just made it weird… I mean, she did have a crush on me and all…" the ginger woman disclosed to her boyfriend, who was unsure of how to process this fact. "I'm sure she knows what's up… She was probably just being a good friend…" Dipper said as he tried to reassure the young woman.

"Okay… No more stalling… Now I get to see what you've picked out… Don't let me down man!" she shouted as Dipper entered the fitting room. "Well… She'll either love it… Or she'll laugh in my face… Oh well… Here goes nothing…" the teen said as he put on the swimsuit. The maroon door of the fitting room opened and out stepped Dipper. He was clad in a pair of swim shorts that were unlike anything he had dared to wear before. Wendy, as well as a few of the female shoppers and associates liked what they saw. The lean and muscular teen's dark blue swim trunks fit like a pair of tight boxer briefs, which started at about three quarters of the way up his thigh. A white waistband contrasted the darkness of the shorts, along with white drawstrings that hung from the top, from which a small trail of body hair led to the bottom of his navel. The brown haired teen blushed a bit as he became aware of the attention he was getting, particularly when a woman tilted down her sunglasses to get a better look. "Well… What do you think?" asked Dipper. Wendy stood before him with a blank expression on her face, as if her brain had stopped to buffer. "Huh?! Wha!? Oh… Th-They look great! The look awesome babe!" the young woman was finally able to stammer out. "Well… Consider them sold!" the seventeen year old said as he proudly walked back into the fitting room. Meanwhile, Wendy cast gazes upon the women who had come to a standstill in the store. "Show's over dudes!... You can stop eye-humping my boyfriend!" she informed the disappointed women.

After throwing his clothes back on, Dipper exited the fitting room to find his girlfriend still blushing a bit. "I take it you like what you saw…" the teen said in a somewhat teasing manner. "Y-Yeah… I guess you could say that…" she replied. "I should have worn it out in that case!" the black t-shirt clad young man said with a chuckle. "I'm not the jealous type… Really I'm not…" Wendy began. "Sure… You all say that…" Dipper teased. "Whatever… Anyway… If you wore that home, I'm pretty sure I'd have to punch a bitch or two…" she said as the redhead playfully jabbed her boyfriend in the ribs. "Well… Let's just say that if you wore yours out… I'd have to crack a few skulls myself…" the seventeen year old retorted. After purchasing their attention getting swimwear, the couple walked home. They laughed along the way about how they may steal the show the following night.

The couple arrived back at the brick and glass storefront of Wendy's apartment. Wendy pushed Dipper up against the brick exterior of the building and began a deep and passionate kiss, dropping the shopping bags from her hands. Dipper returned the kiss as the two carried on despite being in public. "Get a room!" a passerby yelled from a car. The couple was thoroughly shamed and immediately pulled away from one another. "Well… That was embarrassing…" Dipper said. A small frown formed on the freckled face of his lover. "N-Not because of you or anything… Ju-Just getting heckled like that…" the teen quickly clarified. "Well… Then… Let's go somewhere a bit more private…" the redhead said in a salacious voice. The pair practically raced one another up the steep and narrow staircase that led to the apartment on the second floor. Wendy fumbled with her keys as Dipper pressed his body up against the back of her. The door unlocked and the pair tumbled to the hardwood floor. The couple let out a hearty laugh as they picked themselves off the floor.

"I'd ask you to put those shorts back on, but I'd just end up ripping them off of you…" Wendy said as she bit her lip and a light blush came over her freckled face. "Yeah… You were looking pretty good in that bikini you picked out…" the brown haired teen said. Wendy grasped the hand of her boyfriend and led him to the bedroom. The couple began to make out as thoughts raced through their heads of the attention they may draw at the party the following evening. After a round of relentless sex, the exhausted couple passed out on Wendy's queen sized bed. They dreamed of all the fun they'd have at the Fourth of July party the next day.

Author's note: So… I know that this was supposed be the start of my one-shots, but low and behold it became a multi-part story. In the eternal words of Grunkle Stan, deal with it.

My Playlist for this chapter:

The Kills – "Heart Of A Dog"

Warpaint – "New Song"

The White Stripes – "Fell In Love With A Girl"

Queens Of The Stone Age – "3's & 7's"

Stone Sour – "Absolute Zero"

Seether – "Nobody Praying For Me"

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – "Lullaby"

Mudvayne – "Happy?"

Breaking Benjamin – "Breaking The Silence"

Sevendust – "Picture Perfect"

System Of A Down – "Toxicity"

Asking Alexandria – "Here I Am"

Bring Me The Horizon – "Throne"

Shinedown – "If You Only Knew"


	2. Chapter 2

Scarred Summer: A Shooting Star Falls Story

Part Two

Wendy stirred as the warm morning light filtered through the blinds of her bedroom, landing on the freckled skin of the twenty year old officer. Dipper still lay asleep beside her, clad in only his pink and purple cast. While she understood the fit of rage that led to him slamming his fist repeatedly into the pavement, she couldn't wait for him to have the bright cast removed. Rolling over, Wendy exited the bed and walked to the bathroom to grab a quick shower. The warm water cascaded over the young woman as she thought about how much her life had changed in a month. She had transformed from a confident police officer, who would take on grown men triple her size, to a scared and suicidal mess. Her slender fingers traced the scar the graze wound left on her temple, forever a reminder that the terrible day was not a nightmare, but in fact reality. She had been looking forward to spending the summer with not only Dipper, but also his quirky twin sister Mabel. As she once said, the brunette teen girl offered a certain wacky take on life that you just had to roll with, because more times than not, it made life worth living. She even would have tried to deal with Pacifica Northwest, who she wasn't the biggest fan of. While she had seen the clear effect of what losing her fortune had done to the heiress, it wasn't until she started dating Dipper that she had become tolerable. Together, the quartet would no doubt find some fun to get into. Alas, that was not to be this summer; or any other summer again for that matter.

Tears escaped the scarlet haired woman's emerald eyes and they mixed with the warm water that fell from the showerhead above. Trying to cheer herself up, she thought of how in the last few weeks she had gone from crushing suicidal guilt to elation. It was all thanks to one person; her boyfriend Mason Alexander Pines. Since both her and the brown haired teen professed their feelings for each other in a hospital waiting room, life had drastically improved. While the distant future was uncertain, the near term was looking fairly positive for her. Wendy realized that she had been in the shower for nearly fifteen minutes as the warm water began to turn ice cold, stinging the pale skin of the young woman like miniature daggers. Quickly shutting off the water, the auburn haired woman exited the shower as drops of chilly water fell from her body. Wendy took in the sight of her slender body in the mirror. While not a vain person by any means, she did like to observe herself from time to time. Several scars now adorned the twenty year old's body. The most prominent mark was from a collapsed lung she received after a fight at a house party two summers ago. The altercation left the redhead with broken ribs, one of which managed to puncture her lung. The procedure to re-inflate it left an eight inch scar below her armpit, which stuck out on her porcelain skin. "Maybe I'll get a tattoo to cover that up someday…" the young woman pondered to herself.

The wound on her temple had healed fairly quickly and was barely noticeable thanks to her auburn locks that covered it. Her newest scar adorned her left forearm, in stark contrast to her freckled skin. The stitches had been removed a week ago, and while still a bit on the tender side, was healing rather nicely. Still, the twenty year old wondered what her friends would think when they saw it later in the day. Sure, they probably wouldn't bring it up to their friend out of politeness, but she knew that glances of the self-inflicted wound would be taken all night long. After drying off, the young woman walked back down to her bedroom, where Dipper remained asleep. Wendy took the opportunity to put on her new bikini. She liked the way it accentuated her slender, yet toned body. The redhead had never really thought of herself as sexy, but that thought was beginning to change as she took a glance in the mirror. She found a pair of acid wash denim shorts to pull on over the bikini bottom before she dug through her closet for a shirt to wear. After a long search, she located a grey tank top emblazoned with a caricature of a unicorn with "X's" for eyes and the phrase 'Unicorn Killer' in black. She spotted the tank top for sale a few summers ago while on a trip to Portland and ended up buying them for Mabel, Candy, Grenda and herself. The redhead laughed at the fact that while most people thought it was just a dumb ironic shirt, for the quartet of women it actually rang quite true. "They had it coming…" the young woman muttered to herself, before pulling it on over her bikini top. A red flannel print long sleeve shirt completed the ensemble as Dipper rolled over in the bed and opened his eyes.

"Mornin' sleepyhead… I guess I wore you out last night…" the redhead said with a wink. "You could say that…" the brown haired teen said with a yawn. Dipper wrapped his cast covered arm in a plastic bag before heading off for the bathroom to grab a shower. He was glad that he would only have to deal with the annoyance for another couple of weeks, as it had become more of a hindrance than he anticipated. A few times, he had forgotten he had cast on, despite the bright pink and purple color of it. After taking a shower, the teen returned to the bedroom to find Wendy on the phone with her family. "Yeah, we're doing great!... Yes dad, I'm seeing her three times a week for the first two months, then once a week after that… Yes, I have her number in case I feel that way again… I know… I love you too dad… Alright, I'll talk to you later. Bye" the redhead said as she ended the call. "Throw on some clothes and we'll get going… I promised we'd stop and get some sunscreen, seeing as I'm the one who will probably need it the most" she said with a laugh. Dipper put on the attention grabbing swim trunks before covering them up with a pair of blue jeans. A red t-shirt finished his simple outfit. "So… Who all is gonna be there?" asked Dipper as he sat on the edge of the bed and tied his shoes. "Well… Let's see… Nate, Lee, Tambry, Candy, Grenda, Thompson, Alexa, Renee and a couple others…" Wendy answered while applying makeup to help cover her still healing bruise. "Cool… I haven't seen some of them since the funerals… It'll be good to hang out with the gang again…" Dipper said with a bit of joy in his voice.

The pair climbed into Wendy's emerald green Fjord J-150, which had remained parked behind the apartment since the fateful day nearly two weeks ago when the redhead tried to end her life for a second time. With a little hesitation, the truck roared to life. "I'm glad this thing started…" the scarlet haired woman said with a sigh of relief. After stopping at a corner drugstore for sunscreen, the couple headed towards Tambry's house. Wendy turned off of Route 668 and onto the street that her best friend's house resided on. Dipper had always thought it odd that Tambry's house was the only one on the street that seemed ready to turn into a subdivision. "She really lucked out that they never really built this place up like they planned…" Wendy commented. "I know, right? Out here, we can get as loud as we want…" Dipper replied. "That and the police rarely come out here, so it'll be perfect to shoot off some fireworks later on…" the redhead mentioned. Parking the truck, the pair spotted Nate and Lee carrying a large cooler around the back corner of the house towards the backyard.

Dipper and Wendy followed the cooler toting twentysomethings around the house to the large backyard. A glistening in ground pool greeted the pair as Tambry spotted them from the far side of the yard. "Wendy! Dipper! You dudes made it!" the purple haired woman bellowed across the pool. The olive skinned woman was decked out in a neon pink bikini with aqua accents. Tambry reached into a red plastic cooler and removed two silver beer cans from it before walking over to greet the pair. "Welcome to Tambry's Fourth of July Spectacular!" the young woman shouted. "I'm so glad to see you!" the violet haired twenty year old exclaimed as she wrapped Wendy up in a tight hug. "Me too girl!" the porcelain skinned woman replied as she cracked open her beer. "Hey Dip!" Tambry said as she placed her arms around the seventeen year old and embraced him tightly. "H-Hey Tambry…" the brown haired teen replied awkwardly. It had been over two years since the infamous house party where the then inebriated pair of teens almost went all the way. While Dipper had tried to move on, he did ponder from time to time what his life would have been like if the two hadn't been interrupted. Tambry didn't want to break the embrace, as familiar feelings came rushing back to her. While she knew that the toned young man was going out with Wendy, she thought about him from time to time.

"That pic you sent me yesterday was awesome! Where'd you get it?" the olive skinned woman inquired. "Oh… I got it from Atlantic Sun…" the freckled redhead answered. "Huh… I didn't take you as someone who shops there…" Tambry said with a bit of curiosity in her voice. "I-I'm just trying to step out of my comfort zone a bit, ya know?" Wendy explained. "I didn't mean anything by it… I think it's cool that you're changing it up a bit… Just don't change too much on me…" the violet haired woman said as a smile formed on her face. "Never…" Wendy reassured her friend. A pop song had just ended on the outdoor speakers and was quickly followed by hard rock song. "That's a bit of a difference, isn't it?" Dipper commented. "Well… When you have Nate and Lee setting up the playlist, you're gonna get a few songs like that in there…"Tambry said with a laugh. The trio walked over to the impressive pool that adorned the backyard of the upper middle class home. The asymmetrical body of water was built into a hillside on the far end, where a cliff like feature was crafted out of stone. Waterfalls cascaded down the rock face and collected in the pool, causing the manmade creation to appear as an almost natural feature of the forest that lay just beyond. On the near side that faced the house, the soft grass gave way to a marble pool deck, where several lounge chairs invited the friends to sit down. A covered wooden bar completed the astounding water feature.

"This pool is badass!" Wendy complimented her friend. "Yeah… It's kinda ironic that my folks aren't home to enjoy it… So that's why we're gonna break it in for 'em…" the violet haired woman said in an elated voice. "The party has arrived!" a somewhat low voice bellowed just out of sight. Turning the corner, it was revealed that the voice belonged to Grenda, who had just returned from Los Angeles a week ago. The young woman, who was adorned in a pair of red running shorts and a white tank top, had grown tall and muscular, which she used to achieve success in the world of competitive CrossFit. "Grenda! It's so good to see you!" Wendy said as her face lit up. While she wasn't as close to the brown haired teen as Mabel was, she still hung out with her by proxy when Mabel would invite them to sleepovers or adventures. "Hey Wendy! How's it going?" the tall woman asked in her booming voice. "I-I'm not gonna lie… It was pretty rough there for a while… But I'm doing a little better each day…" the scarlet haired woman replied as she shot her a reassuring smile. "That's good to hear… I know we're not, like, super close or anything… But you're still a friend… So if you need me or anything… I'm here…" the brunette finished as she wrapped the shorter redhead in a hug. "Thanks… So… I heard you won the teen division in the games… That's awesome!" Wendy excitedly said. "Yeah… I had a lot of fun, and I felt like I was in a place where for once… For once I just fit in… It was great!" the teen said as tears filled her eyes. "I-I wasn't sure if I could do it… I mean… At one point I collapsed and almost gave up… B-But then… It's gonna sound silly… But… It felt like someone picked me up off the ground and urged me to go on… I-I think it was Mabel… I think she helped me out… B-But that's nuts… Right?" the young woman postulated. Unknown to the brunette, Wendy had actually held conversations with the spirit of Mabel Pines in the time since her passing. Dipper overheard the conversation and decided to add his thoughts on the matter. "No… Not at all… I-I mean… We all know that Mabel likes to help out her friends and family… So maybe she did give you an otherworldly hand…." the twin brother of the deceased teen reassured Grenda. "Yeah… You were one of her best friends… Of course she'd help you out…" Wendy added.

"That's why I dedicated my win to her and Pacifica… They were two of my best friends… Mabel especially would go out of her way to do anything for a friend… Even Pacifica towards the end was a good friend to me… Like when she told off those upperclassmen that were picking on me a couple months ago…" Grenda said as a few tears escaped her eyes. "Don't cry friend!" a soft and accented voice said to the brunette. "Candy!" the larger woman said as she wrapped the petite Korean-American girl in a breath stealing hug. "Wendy! Dipper! So good to see you two!" the raven haired woman exclaimed as her best friend placed her back on the ground. "Good to see you too dude!" Wendy responded to the excitable young woman. "Glad to see you too…" Dipper said to the teen girl, who wore a green sundress. "So… You two are a couple now?" Candy boldly asked the redhead. "Yeah… Me and Dip are together now…" Wendy said with a bit of unsureness in her voice. "Grenda! You owe me twenty bucks…" Candy yelled as Grenda sprinted off; the raven haired teen giving chase. "I'll never quite understand those two…" Dipper chuckled. "Me neither dude… Me neither…" Wendy added before taking a swig from her sweating can of beer.

"So… I've been meaning to ask you… H-Has you doctor said anything about drinking since… Well… You know?" the brown haired teen said as he ran his fingers through his messy brown hair. "Nah… Not really… Why's that?" the redhead asked; her intrigue piqued. "Well… It's just that I-I've been doing some research ever since I found you like that in the cemetery… A-And… They pretty much said that alcohol can attribute to feelings of depression…" the brown haired teen revealed. "Well… I've been doing some research too… And the conclusion of my study is that you're a total dork…" the redhead said as she messed up her boyfriend's hair. "Be that as it may… I-I just care about you…" the seventeen year old said in a serious voice. "Just promise me that if you start feeling down that you'll stop drinking and talk to someone…" Dipper continued. Wendy looked into the brown eyes of her boyfriend to find a look of concern in them. The redhead realized that maybe she should stop joking around and be serious for a moment. "I-I promise you… That if I start feeling that way… I will…" Wendy reassured the teen boy. "And thanks for looking out for me… You always are… And I love you for that…" the scarlet haired woman continued. Wendy grasped the hand of her boyfriend and walked towards the bar, where Nate and Lee were already serving up drinks.

"Alright! Who wants a shot!?" Nate bellowed out to the group that had gathered by the wooden structure. "Ooo! Me! Me!" Tambry called out. Nate pulled a clear bottle with an amber fluid in it from behind the counter. "Alright Tambers! How about a shot of Meteor Cinnamon Whiskey?" the tattooed twenty year old asked. "I'll take two!" the violet haired woman replied to her crush's question. Nate poured the olive skinned woman a pair of shots. The young woman picked up the petite glass cups and placed one up to her bottom lip. Opening her mouth, the burning liquor ran down the back of her throat; a few drops dribbling down her chin and landing on her breasts. After dispatching a second shot, Tambry confidently slammed the glasses down on the counter and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Candy walked up to the bar and took a seat next to the violet haired woman. "I would like one please" the petite Korean girl politely said in a shy voice. "Me too!" Grenda shouted in stark contrast to her best friend. Before he knew it, most everyone had requested a pour from the bottle of whiskey. After doling out around ten shots, Tambry held her glass up; shortly joined by the rest of the revelers. "Hey! Hey! Everybody!... Before we get going here… Let's all just take a moment to remember that a couple of friends couldn't be here today with us… Mabel… Pacifica… Wherever you guys are… This one's for you!" the purple haired woman toasted. After downing their shots, the group began to disperse a bit. Candy continued to sit at the bar, much to Lee's surprise. "You want another?" the blonde haired man asked. "Sure…" the sundress clad teenager said. A few moments later, Lee returned with the bottle and proceeded to pour the petite seventeen year old a shot. Without hesitation, Candy threw back the caramel colored liquid. Lee was impressed that the raven haired girl hadn't winced at the taste of the burning liquor.

Renee was next to show up to the house party and brought a bottle of ice cream flavored vodka as a gift. The sandy haired woman walked over to the bar and placed the glass bottle on the wooden counter. "Renee! I'm so glad that you could make it!" Wendy greeted the hairstylist. "Hey Wendy! Your hair still looks awesome!" she commented to her friend. "Well… I did have this awesome girl cut and style it for me…" the redhead said sarcastically. Dipper, meanwhile had wandered towards the edge of the pool and looked down at the welcoming water. The heat of the day had begun to set in and the brown haired teen was tempted to be the first one in the pool. Clouded in his thoughts, he failed to notice that a young blonde woman had practically ripped her clothes off and run onto the diving board. The blonde and blue streak stopped at the end of the plank and proceeded to jump up and down twice, launch into the air and complete a back somersault before breaking the water with her hands; disappearing below the surface. The sound of the splash caused a few people to turn around, just in time to see who had dove in to the previously placid body of water. Alexa swam to the end of the pool and climbed out, taking a seat on the marble deck next to the seventeen year old boy. "Hello!" the bubbly blonde exclaimed. "Oh… Alexa! Hey!" was all the brown haired teen could say as he was still in a bit of shock from the very athletic feat.

"You should jump in! The water's nice and cool… It'll feel _so_ good on your body…" the blonde said in an odd tone to Dipper as she looked up at him with bright cerulean eyes. "Maybe in a little bit…" the young man said to the seated seventeen year old. "Hey Alexa!" a familiar voice called out, much to the teen boy's relief. "Oh! Hey Wendy! How are you?" the blue swimsuit clad girl asked. "I'm good…" the redhead replied to her new friend. "I was just telling Dipper that the water feels amazing… Ain't that right?" the blonde said as she stood up. While Dipper was far from a towering individual, he felt like a giant next to the petite teen. By his estimation, she barely stood five feet tall. "That does sound good! Let me go get the sunscreen and I'll jump in" the young officer said as she headed back towards a lounge chair. "I better go help her" Dipper added before walking away. Wendy was hesitant to remove her red flannel shirt, sure that someone would comment on her fresh scar. As she saw her boyfriend walk over, she swallowed hard and shed the garment, revealing the tank top underneath. "Alright! You wore the shirt!" she heard Grenda bellow from the far side of the yard, where she was downing a beer and talking to Candy, who already appeared to be a bit tipsy. " _Loooove_ it!" Candy exclaimed in an unusual outburst over a popular early nineties grunge song. Wendy held up her arm to flash the pair of teens the 'Rock On' hand gesture. Wendy had closed her eyes and banged her head up and down a few times for comedic effect, only to open them and see the pair discussing something. There was no doubt in the freckled woman's mind that they had seen her scar and were talking about it. The pair of teenage friends realized that they had been spotted checking out the healing wound and quickly tried to mirror the redhead's gesture in a feeble struggle to play it off.

Wendy reached for her flannel shirt in an attempt to cover the mark up. "I can't put sunscreen on you if you're wearing a shirt, silly…" Dipper playfully said. Wendy turned around to reveal a saddened face, complete with tear filled eyes on the verge of overflowing. "Wh-What's the matter Wen?" the teen boy asked in a concerned tone. "I-I just noticed that Grenda and Candy were checking out my scar… I-I'm not sure that I can do this man… I, like, don't think I'm gonna go swimming today…" the ginger woman said as she choked back tears. "Well… If you don't wanna… That's cool… But, honestly… I'm sure once you take off that shirt and those shorts, nobody will be talking about that…" Dipper said with a sly smile in an attempt to cheer up the clearly shaken woman. "I-I guess that you're right…" Wendy agreed with a somewhat hollow tone to her voice. Dipper found it to be a bit unnerving , as her voice was usually full of emotion. "C'mon… I'll show you mine if you show me yours…" the teen joked as once again he tried to break the tension. "You're such a nerd… Thanks…" Wendy said as a smile broke across her face. The scarlet haired woman loved the fact that when she was feeling down that her boyfriend would always manage a way to cheer her up, even at his own expense.

Wendy pulled her dark grey tank top over her head and tossed it onto the maroon lounge chair that lay on the marble pool deck beside her. Dipper quickly followed suit, ditching his red t-shirt, revealing his lean and toned upper body and midsection. "Welp… Here goes nothing…" Wendy said as she unfastened the button on her shorts and they fell to the stone floor below. The leggy ginger stepped out of the shorts and placed them with her tank top on the chair. "Alright, your turn mister…" Wendy said as she eyed her boyfriend. The seventeen year old unfastened his brown leather belt and undid the button on his jeans. After pulling down the metal zipper on the front, the jeans began to fall a bit. The athletic teen sat down on the edge of the lounge chair and pulled the denim off of his somewhat hairy legs. Now free of his pants, Dipper stood up to reveal his unconventional shorts. While Nate, Lee and Thompson donned board shorts for the party, the seventeen year old would be dressed a bit differently. "They look even better in the daylight…" Wendy gleefully observed. "Hey guys! Last one in is a huge lame-o!" the redhead shouted as she walked towards the edge of the pool.

Dipper soon joined his girlfriend at the water's edge as they turned around to see who would be joining them. The underage partygoers were all soon shedding their layers to reveal swimsuits of all different types and colors. Candy struggled to pull her green sundress over her head, before Grenda walked over and slid the straps of her dress over her shoulders, causing the garment to fall, revealing a forest green and navy blue striped two piece bikini. Grenda removed her shorts and tank top to reveal a red two piece, which included boy short bottoms and a sports bra like top. Renee removed her floral print dress to reveal an orange one piece swimsuit. Nate, Lee and Thompson made their way over to the pool as they removed their shirts and haphazardly tossed them on the grass. Tambry was last to join the group on the edge of the pool. She took a long look at a certain seventeen year old boy before a muscular tattooed arm wrapped itself around her olive skinned shoulders. "Sup Tambry" the twenty year old man said in a mellow voice. In a moment, her thoughts had drifted away from Dipper and back towards her main crush, Nate. Although they had hooked up a few times, the pair had never thought about a serious relationship. Tambry intended on changing that by the end of this summer, however. "Wow… That guy's pretty hot…" Alexa thought to herself as an urge came over her. "No! Not again… Not after last time! I'm better than that…" the blonde internally admonished. "Candy want…" the raven haired young woman quietly commented to herself. While Renee didn't hate the sight of the younger man in short swim trunks, her heart and lust belonged to another. "I wish Dean were here right now…" the sandy haired woman thought to herself. "Eh… I've seen better…" Grenda internally judged and dismissed.

"Wow… Wendy's looking good today…" Nate observed to himself. "Man… If only I had been a little bit more confident when she broke up with Robbie a couple of years ago…" Thompson thought. The group of hormone laden partygoers turned their attention to the challenge the red, white and blue bikini clad woman threw down a moment ago. One by one, they leapt into the pool, until only Wendy and Dipper were left. Wendy let go of Dipper's hand and turned around, saluting her boyfriend by making an L on her forehead before falling backwards towards the water below. Once the now soaked auburn locks of his girlfriend emerged from the depths of the pool, the navy blue swimsuit clad teen jumped and pulled his legs into his chest. He landed with a thud, creating a huge splash that soaked not only his girlfriend, but most of the partygoers. "You asshole!" Wendy playfully shouted at her boyfriend before splashing him with some water. The sun hung high overhead as the party began to heat up.

Author's note: So… Here is Part 2 of what was supposed to be a one-shot. The next installment should be the last in this one. Next up will be a one shot about Dipper and Mabel's 18th Birthday. What should be a joyous day is instead filled with reflection and longing for a certain deceased teen. After that will be one for Wendy's 21st Birthday, which will make both this and Underage Discoveries On A Reckless Night seem somewhat tame by comparison. Thanks for the follows and reviews, they mean a lot to me and I read every review and message, so keep them coming!

My soundtrack for writing this chapter (Think of this as the playlist for the party too):

Motionless In White – "LOUD (F**K It)

Thousand Foot Krutch – "Lifeline"

Starset – "Carnivore"

Never Say Die – "Like A Nightmare"

Seether – "Let You Down"

Three Days Grace – "Fallen Angel"

Ellie Goulding - "Something In The Way You Move"

Rihanna/Britney Spears – "S&M (Remix)"

Katy Perry – "I Kissed A Girl"

Zara Larsson – "Never Forget You"

Backstreet Boys – "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"

Jennifer Lopez – "Ain't It Funny)

The Chainsmokers/ Louane – "Paris"

Cheat Codes/ Demi Lovato – "No Promises"

Daft Punk/ Romanthony – "One More Time"

Zedd/Selena Gomez – "I Want You To Know"

Nickleback – "Figured You Out"

Local H – "Bound For The Floor"

Saint Motel – "Move"


	3. Chapter 3

Scarred Summer: A Shooting Star Falls Story

Part Three

The afternoon continued as the group of friends enjoyed the cool water of the pool on a sunny Fourth of July holiday. Dipper and Wendy had exited the pool and retreated to the lounge chairs that lie on the marble nearby. True to his word, the brown haired teenager applied a healthy covering of sunscreen to his pale skinned girlfriend. After lounging in the sun for about an hour, Wendy's stomach began to growl. "Dude… I'm starving… Have they got the grill going yet?" asked a hungry redhead to her boyfriend, who had his face buried in a book about a treasure located in a bottomless pit in Nova Scotia. "Nah… I don't think so…" the brown haired teen said as he continued to read. "I'm gonna go see what they have in the house, 'cause I'm about to rip that book out of your hands and eat it man…" the young woman said with a chuckle. "Alright… If they have some chips in there, could ya bring me some?" Dipper asked. "Eh… Maybe?" the scarlet haired teased in an apathetic tone as she got up from her chair and headed towards the house.

Wendy looked around at all the friends who had gathered, some of which she hadn't seen since high school. Lee was currently doing a kegstand, with assistance from his best friend Nate. Gazing over at the wooden bar, Candy sat on a stool while Grenda stood behind it, suggesting that her petite friend may have had enough. The blue and green stripped bikini clad woman yelled, "I'll tell you when I've had enough…" which was quite unusual for the normally shy girl. Grenda shrugged and poured her friend another shot of flavored vodka. As the red, white and blue bikini attired ginger reached for the door that led into the kitchen, she spotted a young blonde woman leaned up against a tree in the backyard. The redhead took note of how sad the normally bubbly girl looked. Releasing the door handle, she walked towards the blue swim suit clad teen. "A-Alexa… I-Is everything alright?" Wendy asked in a soft voice. "I-I'm fine…" Alexa said as she sniffled a bit; her head still looking down at the bright green grass below. "What's the matter?" Wendy said as she took a seat in the shade of the large pine tree. "It's nothing… Really…" the blonde said in a sullen voice. " _Alexa_ … _Sweetheart_ … I know when someone's lying to me… C'mon… What's got ya down?" the twenty year old said to the upset teen. "Y-You're not gonna like what I have to say… You're gonna _hate_ me… I mean, I hate me…" Alexa began. "Huh? What do you mean by that? What'd ya do, hotwire my truck and crash it or somethin'!?" the auburn haired woman said with a laugh. The blonde was not amused. "I-I took a pass at your boyfriend earlier…" she revealed as tears streamed down her face. "I-I must have misheard you… It sounded like you said you made a pass at Dipper?" the young officer inquired with a hint of disbelief in her voice.

"I-It's true…" Alexa said as she sniffled yet again. "I jumped into the pool and when I came out I walked up to him and told him how good the water felt on my body… I told him it'd feel great on his…" the blonde said between tears. "Th-That's it?..." the auburn haired woman asked. "Y-Yeah… You walked up and I realized that what I was doing was wrong… I-I'm so sorry…" the teen girl apologized. "Look… It's totally not cool that you tried to hit on my boyfriend, even if it was a lame attempt to do so…" Wendy said as she looked the young woman in her sapphire eyes; a stern look on her freckled face. "I appreciate your honesty and all, but nothing is going to come between us… _Nothing_ …" the auburn haired woman explained in a serious tone. "I-I'm sorry… Th-This isn't the first time I've done something like this… I-I mean… That's why I'm here in Gravity Falls… I-I had an affair with… With my gymnastics coach… It became a big deal… He ended up getting fired… His wife left him… It was all my fault! I ruined their family… And for what!? Because I was attracted to him and thought that I always get what I want… I'm trying to change… Really, I am… I-I thought that maybe… Maybe if I got away… Maybe things would be different… B-But here I am again… Tryin' to wedge myself between another couple…" the hysterical teen explained as Wendy listened with mouth agape. She could not believe the words coming out of the seemingly innocent and bubbly blonde girl. Was that why she was so nice to her at the restaurant? To let her guard down so she could make a move on Dipper? Wendy flipped back and forth between anger and confusion.

"Alexa… I-I should be pissed at you… And don't get me wrong… Part of me is… But part of me understands that you're kinda messed up… And I can totally relate to that…" Wendy shared. "What do ya mean by that?" the blonde teenager asked curiously as she wiped her eyes with her hand. "Well… Look… Only my family and close friends know about this… So I'm really hesitant to tell you this…" the ginger woman began. "I won't tell anyone… I promise…" the seventeen year old said as she looked into the emerald green eyes of the slightly older woman. "Okay… Well… Do you know why that fight started in the diner?" Wendy asked. "No… I-I don't…" the blonde said as she shook her head. "Well… A few weeks before you arrived… W-We had a shooting here in town… I-It was pretty bad… Three people died…" Wendy said with a saddened tone. "Oh wow! I hadn't heard all that…" the petite girl said as the scarlet haired woman continued. "Yeah… I knew all three… One was a girl named Mabel… She was your age… An amazing woman, who was full of life and always liked to see the good in everything and everyone… She was Dipper's twin sister…" Wendy informed the young woman, who looked on with an expression of shock. "A-Another was Pacifica Northwest… She was kinda stuck up… But that was to be expected when your family used to be the richest in town… Her and Mabel were really good friends and they were both mine as well… She was Dipper's girlfriend" the auburn haired twenty year old informed the oblivious teenager. "Th-The gunman was a guy named Robbie Valentino… I-I dated him in high school… I-I don't think he meant to hurt those two girls… He was just scared… We all were…" Wendy said as tears formed in her eyes.

"I-I'm so sorry… I didn't know… That must be so rough…" Alexa said to Wendy. "That's not even the worst part of it all…" the redhead continued. "I-I'm an officer with the Gravity Falls Police Department… And at the time, the only two other officers were off on vacation, so I was in charge… It happened on my watch… Not a day goes by that I don't think about it… And I'm pretty sure that'll never change" Wendy solemnly explained. "Wait… So… You're a cop?!" Alexa asked in a confused tone. "Yup, I sure am… Well… I dunno… I-I might not be in a little while… I'm on paid leave right now to try and get my shit together…" the ginger woman replied. "Wow… It's hard to believe… It's like some kinda movie or something…" the blonde observed. "I wish it was kid… I wish it was…" Wendy said as she pulled back her scarlet locks to reveal the still healing graze wound on her head to the blonde teen. Alexa looked on with her mouth wide open. She felt guilty about trying to tempt Dipper away before learning all this about Wendy. Now, she felt absolutely horrible about it. She tried to fathom what it would be like to lose three close friends and be shot at. "You know what's fucked up?" Wendy asked. "That's not even the half of it… After all that happened… I broke… I couldn't deal with it… The crushing guilt… I blamed myself… That I didn't do enough… That their blood was on my hands… I-I…" the ginger woman struggled to say as the seventeen year old listened intently. "Everyone said that about me… I believed them… I tried to kill myself… Luckily, fate intervened to stop me… I got depressed… Didn't leave the house for a few weeks… Then… I tried to just go back to normal… I thought I had it under control… I didn't. Not at all. I tried to kill myself again…" the red, white and blue bikini clad woman recalled. Alexa looked at the still healing scar on the left wrist of the slightly older woman. Unknown to anyone other than her parents, she had been in a similar spot of desperation to try and make it all go away. The blonde tried to end her life by hanging herself in her bedroom, but was found in time to be saved.

"I-I've got something else to admit… A-After the affair went public… I-I tried to… I tried to…" the blonde teen said as she choked up. "It's alright… The important thing is that we're still here…" Wendy tried to comfort the upset teenager, almost certain of what she was going to say. "We're both pretty messed up… Aren't we?" Alexa rhetorically asked. "A-Are you getting help?" asked a concerned redhead. "Nah… I don't wanna talk about it with some stranger… My parents think that if I just get away for the summer and work for my Grandma that it'll help" the petite blonde replied. "You should really go see someone… I am… And it's helped… I-I realized that I did all I could that day… And that I need move on… Dwelling on the past will only bring about bad things…" Wendy pleaded with the younger girl. "It really helps?" Alexa asked. "Yeah… Come with me to my next appointment…" the auburn haired woman offered. "A-Alright… And Wendy…" the blue eyed teen said. "Yeah?" the ginger twenty year old replied. "Thanks…" the seventeen year old spoke in a sincere tone as she hugged the slightly older woman. "No problem kiddo…" Wendy said as she reciprocated the embrace. Her stomach rumbled as she remembered why she had left the poolside area in the first place. "Looks like they finally fired up the grill… Let's grab a bite to eat… I'm starving…" Wendy said with a laugh as she stood up and offered her right hand to the teen in the blue swim suit.

After getting a few cheeseburgers, some chips and a pair of pickles, Wendy headed back to the poolside area. The sight that awaited her caused her to giggle a bit. There was Dipper, passed out; with the book he was reading covering his face. Placing the two plates of food she had made onto a small table, the young woman gently nudged her dozing boyfriend and he began to stir. "A real page turner… Eh?" asked the twenty year old in a sarcastic voice. "It actually is… I-I guess that I still haven't recovered from our workout session…" the teen said with a wink. "How long was I out for?" the teen asked as he noticed the sun beginning to fall in the western sky. "To be honest… Not sure dude… I-I went to go raid the house for some grub when I saw Alexa just kinda sitting by herself…" the ginger woman explained to her pink toned boyfriend. "Is she alright?" Dipper asked with a concerned voice. Although he didn't know the petite girl too well, he tended to care about most everyone he came across. "She was feeling a little down… So I talked it up with her for a bit…" Wendy answered. "Oh… Well… That's good to hear… I mean, this is a party… We should be having a good time" Dipper replied in a somewhat more upbeat tone. "Yeah… She's actually got a few things going on and I'm glad I was able to talk to her about them…" the redhead said to her boyfriend.

Wendy decided in the end that it was best not to disclose to him that Alexa had weakly tried to seduce him. Instead, the pair chowed down on slightly overcooked cheeseburgers and downed a few cheap beers. The sky darkened as the group of underage friends gathered at a clearing on the far end of the property, clear of both the forest and the house. Candy drunkenly ran around the yard with a sparkler, letting the soft blades of grass caress her bare feet. Grenda watched over her best friend, as she wasn't drinking as much thanks to her strict diet plan her coach had given her prior to the CrossFit games. Nate, Lee, Thompson, Tambry, Wendy and Dipper stood around reminisced about previous summertime fun they had shared. Determining the sky was now dark enough, Nate lit the long fuse that ran to a large number of highly illegal fireworks. Wendy and Dipper took their place on a blanket that the redhead placed on the ever cooling ground. For the next few minutes, everyone forgot whatever troubles and worries they may have had to enjoy the bright and loud display taking place overhead. It was a production that the Northwest family would surely be jealous of. Dipper Pines and Wendy Corduroy shared a kiss as the grand finale erupted overhead. The coming weeks would be full of doubt and uncertainty, but at least for the moment, the pair could enjoy a near perfect moment on a cool July evening in Gravity Falls, Oregon.

So, here is the final installment of what was supposed to be a three thousand words one-shot. Instead of the one-shot idea, I may do a few more of these stories that last a few chapters, as we kinda pop into the lives of Wendy and Dipper. The next one-shot-ish story will deal with how Dipper struggles on what was supposed to be the Mystery Twins' 18th Birthday. All of this will build to my next major story, which will take place fifteen years in the future. Thank you for the reviews and follows!

Part of my playlist while writing this chapter… I tried to find songs that would convey the party aspect of story, while also finding some darker songs to weigh it down when appropriate.

M83 – "Midnight City"

311 – "Too Much To Think"

System Of A Down – "B.Y.O.B"

3 Doors Down – "In The Dark" - The lyrics kinda reminded me of the darker side of Alexa no one knew existed.

Bleeker – "Highway"

Beck – "E-Pro"

Alessia Cara – "Scars To Your Beautiful"

The Chainsmokers/Daya – "Don't Let Me Down"

Taio Cruz - "Break Your Heart"


End file.
